The best travel insurance companies for visitors to Canada (2024)

Best Travel Insurance for Pre-Existing Conditions: Tugo

If you’re coming to Canada and you already have a health condition, we strongly suggest that you get an insurance plan with Tugo. Like Manulife, Tugo is another well-known Canadian company that sells travel insurance. And they have the best plans for people who may have health concerns.

A pre-existing medical condition is a health issue that you already had before you got travel insurance. It refers to things like cancer, heart conditions, high blood pressure, obesity, and others. (Read our article about pre-existing medical conditions for a full list)

Some Canadian providers can cover pre-existing conditions as long as they’re stable. This means that it hasn’t gotten worse, needed a new diagnosis, or caused new symptoms in 90-180 days, depending on your insurance company’s rules. Tugo goes the extra mile. They have additional travel plans for visitors that can cover a pre-existing condition even if it’s not stable. This is an extremely rare insurance option for visitors to Canada.

Plus Tugo has some of the best coverage options. They’re one of the few that let visitors get non-medical forms of insurance for things like trip cancellation insurance. And they have a unique MyFlyt service that can compensate you for flight delays.

Product Name: Visitors to Canada Emergency Medical Insurance, Visitors to Canada Trip Cancellation & Trip Interruption Insurance, Visitors to Canada Trip Interruption Insurance

Types of Coverage: Emergency medical + super visa + trip cancellation/interruption + trip interruption + optional sports & adventure activities, accidental death & dismemberment, and unstable pre-existing conditions

Maximum Amount of Coverage: $500,000 CAD or $2,000,000 CAD for international students

Age Range: 15 days to 90+ years

Pre-existing Conditions Covered: Yes + optional coverage for unstable conditions

Deductibles: $0 – $10,000 CAD

Free Look: Yes, 10-day

Family Plans: Yes

Best Travel Insurance for International Students: Allianz Global Assistance

Many international students in Canada get their own travel medical insurance policy to cover anything their school’s health plan doesn’t cover. This means things like covering them for winter and summer holidays, or for any side trips they take outside of the province or country too. And Allianz travel insurance is the best choice.

Allianz has the best plans for international students in Canada. They actually have a unique package just for international students. And they have the highest coverage amount for students too — they’ll cover up to $5 million for medical emergencies. Their plans can be a little pricey, but they’re a reputable company and their plans are worth it.

Product Name: Visitors to Canada Plan, International Students to Canada Travel Insurance

Types of Coverage: Emergency medical + super visa

Maximum Amount of Coverage: $100,000 CAD or $5,000,000 CAD (international students)

Age Range: 15 days to 84 years

Pre-existing Conditions Covered: Limited; up to age 59 only, if stable

Deductibles: $0 CAD

Free Look: Yes, 10-day

Family Plans: No

Best Travel Insurance for Super Visa: Group Medical Services (GMS)

GMS is our top recommendation for people who are travelling to Canada on a super visa. (Read our Guide to Canadian Super Visa Insurance to learn more about the program.) Its plans meet the requirements of the program, and it has well-rounded coverage options.

Their Immigrants & Visitors to Canada Insurance covers stable pre-existing conditions and has excellent coverage for seniors. It also has a fair range of deductible options and decent coverage amounts if you need something a bit more than the $100,000 limit. And their rates are affordable too!

Product Name: Immigrants & Visitors to Canada Insurance

Types of Coverage: Emergency medical + super visa

Maximum Amount of Coverage: $150,000 CAD

Age Range: 0 to 80 years

Pre-existing Conditions Covered: Yes, if stable

Deductibles: $0 – $1,000 CAD

Free Look: Yes, 10-day

Family Plans: No

Best Travel Insurance for Monthly Payment Plans: Travelance

Travelance is one of the few Canadian companies that lets you pay for super visa insurance monthly instead of paying for everything at once. And, as far as we’re concerned, it’s the best if you want a plan specifically to pay monthly.

The reason we recommend Travelance so highly is in the details. It lets you get 3 follow-up doctor visits within a 30-day period, covering up to $3,000 worth of related costs. Most providers don’t cover follow-up visits this much. It also has great coverage for prescription drugs and really high deductible options. This is fantastic health insurance for visitors to Canada if you do end up needing medical attention during your trip. And you don’t even have to pay for the entire thing upfront!

Product Name: Visitors to Canada Emergency Medical Insurance (VTC) Essential Plan or Premier Plan, International Student Travel Insurance (ISP) Smart Plan or Smart-Plus Plan

Types of Coverage: Emergency medical + super visa

Maximum Amount of Coverage: $150,000 CAD (visitors) or $2,000,000 CAD (international students)

Age Range: 14 days to 86 years

Pre-existing Conditions Covered: Limited; up to age 69 and only with premium plans, if stable

Deductibles: $0 – $10,000 CAD

Free Look: Yes, 10-day

Family Plans: Yes

Best Travel Insurance for Long Stays: 21st Century

If you plan to stay in Canada for long periods of time, we recommend that you get a visitors insurance plan with 21st Century. They have a rare upgrade feature that lets you extend your insurance plan for up to 2 years while keeping the exact same price. This makes it a great deal if you have long-term travel plans.

Their 2-year extension is perfect for people who apply for the 2-year extension for their super visa. Plus, 21st Century is another one of the few providers who lets you pay for super visa insurance monthly. They offer different levels of insurance to cover your trip, and you can choose higher or lower deductibles.

Product Name: Visitors to Canada Insurance Basic Plan, Standard Plan, or Enhanced Plan

Types of Coverage: Emergency medical + super visa

Maximum Amount of Coverage: $200,000 CAD

Age Range: 0 to 111 years

Pre-existing Conditions Covered: Yes, if stable (Enhanced Plan only)

Deductibles: $0 – $10,000 CAD

Free Look: No

Family Plans: Yes

Best Travel Insurance for Convenience: Destination Canada

Destination Canada is a nice and simple option for visitors to Canada insurance. It’s the kind of insurance plan you can buy quickly without worrying too much. It will cover the basics for emergency medical — stable pre-existing conditions, super visa insurance, etc. And it can give you a lot more coverage than normal. It can even cover travellers who are over 86 years old. So, it’s a good click-and-buy choice.

On the downside, it doesn’t have the most comprehensive travel insurance policies. So, if you’re looking for things like trip cancellation insurance or coverage for extreme sports, this isn’t the best choice for you. It also has fairly low deductible options, only going up to $500 — and that matters because deductibles affect the price of travel insurance.

Product Name: Canada Visitors to Canada Plan, International Student Insurance

Types of Coverage: Emergency medical + super visa

Maximum Amount of Coverage: $300,000 CAD

Age Range: 0 to 86+ years

Pre-existing Conditions Covered: Limited; up to age 79 only, if stable

Deductibles: $0 – $500 CAD

Free Look: Yes, 10-day

Family Plans: Yes

Best Travel Insurance for Side Trips: MSH

An MSH plan is the perfect travel insurance for international frequent flyers. Many Canadian insurance companies cover side trips once most of your time is spent in Canada. But they won’t cover trips outside of Canada more than 30 days at most. MSH doesn’t have this limit.

MSH doesn’t have restrictions on outside trips, so even if you spend an extended period of time in countries outside of Canada, you can still get coverage. Its plan also gives you a LOT of coverage and some of the highest deductible options around.

Product Name: Discover Canada Insurance, Patriot Travel Plan

Types of Coverage: Emergency medical + super visa

Maximum Amount of Coverage: $1,000,000 CAD

Age Range: 15 days to 90 years

Pre-existing Conditions Covered: Limited; up to age 80 only, if stable

Deductibles: $0 – $25,000 CAD

Free Look: No

Family Plans: Yes

Best Travel Insurance for Companion Discounts: 21st Century

The 21st Century travel insurance is a good choice if you’re not travelling alone. In Canada, many insurance companies have plans for families, which means you can get lower prices if you’re going on a trip with your close family or other dependents. 21st Century does that too, but it also gives discounts if your travel companion might not be in your family. So, if you and a few friends want to visit Canada and save money while making sure you’re protected, this insurance plan would be a smart option.

Product Name: Visitors to Canada Insurance Basic Plan, Standard Plan, or Enhanced Plan

Types of Coverage: Emergency medical + super visa

Maximum Amount of Coverage: $200,000 CAD

Age Range: 0 to 111 years

Pre-existing Conditions Covered: Yes, if stable (Enhanced Plan only)

Deductibles: $0 – $10,000 CAD

Free Look: No

Family Plans: Yes

Best Travel Insurance for Customizable Deductibles: Secure Travel

Visitors to Canada who want more deductible choices should think about getting a travel insurance policy from Secure Travel. A deductible is the amount you pay upfront before insurance pays for the rest. A higher deductible makes your insurance premium cost less, and vice versa. Secure Travel lets you customize a deductible up to $3,000, and that can help if you’re looking to lower the cost of travel insurance.

They also have a high travel medical insurance coverage limit. And has 2 tiers of plans, so you can decide how enhanced or how basic you want your travel insurance to be. You can get all of this plus good standard coverage for things like super visa insurance, pre-existing conditions, side trips, travel accident, and more.

Product Name: Visitors to Canada Insurance Standard or Enhanced Plan, Super Visa Insurance, International Student Insurance Standard, Enhanced, or Premium Plan

Types of Coverage: Emergency medical + super visa

Maximum Amount of Coverage: $1,000,000 CAD or $2,000,000 CAD for international students

Age Range: 15 days to 89 years

Pre-existing Conditions Covered: Yes, if stable

Deductibles: $0 – $3,000 CAD

Free Look: Yes, 10-day

Family Plans: Yes